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When a small kitten appears in the house, it very quickly wins the love of all households without exception. Everyone wants to play with him, feed him. His habits cause affection in family members. But seals grow and mature very quickly. Soon they turn into adult pets. With the onset of puberty, the hosts are in trouble.
The cat begins, in accordance with its instincts, to mark its territory. As a result, the apartment quickly acquires a specific smell. In addition, the spring thaw will not have time to begin, as happy owners will have to listen to the loud cries of the animal. The cat begins to run away for a long time. During this period, the owners of cats think about when you can castrate your beloved pet, and whether it is worth it at all. Before you talk about the appropriate age for castration, you should decide on whether you take this step.To make a decision, consider the positive and negative points.
"Pros and cons"
With regard to castration, every experienced owner has his own opinion. Cats live with people for a long time. During this time many legends and opinions have been formed. Some consider this case useless. Others believe that this is a cruel mockery of a pet. Those who have not yet decided whether to carry out this operation to their cat, it will be useful to learn the positive and negative aspects of the procedure.
Naturally, castration will relieve you of many problems. But in exchange there may appear new ones that will have to be eliminated. Here are the main benefits of the procedure.
- Performing this operation will increase the lifespan of the animal. This is not a legend, but a scientific fact. The cat will then live up to two years longer.
- After castration, the animal will become less aggressive. It will not scream the night away, it will become calmer. The cat will be more amenable to education and training.
- Another important advantage of castration is the absence of unpleasant odor. The cat will not mark the territory, and you do not have to wash and wash all the property in the apartment.
- After this operation, the cat will not suffer from many diseases associated with the reproductive system, which can develop with age.
Consider also the main disadvantages of castration. Most of them are due to the fact that the animal was neutered at the wrong age. It is important to remember that the earlier the operation is performed, the less likely it is that complications will occur after that.
Here are the main disadvantages:
- Such an operation, like any other, involves the use of anesthesia. The older the cat, which will be castrated, the higher the likelihood that anesthesia will cause complications.
- In addition, any operation, including castration, can lead to a number of other complications. These can be problems such as bleeding, the development of infection. The animal can seam seams. To reduce the risk, you need to seriously approach the choice of a surgeon. It is also very important that the cat is completely healthy before the operation. After castration, it is necessary to provide the animal proper care. In this case, the age of the animal also plays a fairly large role. The older the cat, the greater the risk of complications.
- Castration of a cat increases the risk of developing stones in the bladder of an animal in the long run. But it can be prevented. For this it is important to ensure that the animal consumed a lot of water.The diet of this cat should also be special.
Stereotypes
Many owners want to castrate the cat, because they can not wait to get rid of the problems associated with sex hunting. But they are often hampered by various legends and stereotypes that have accumulated over a long time among cat lovers. One of these legends suggests that after surgery, cats are gaining weight, becoming lazy and sluggish. But, so that this does not happen, it is enough to provide a pet with a special diet. This will not only protect it from obesity, but also prevent many diseases. Here, the activity of a cat is often confused with its aggressive behavior, which begins as a result of hormonal changes. In fact, the pet will be as active, curious and fun. It does not depend on the age at which the operation was performed.
Many people miss the ideal age of the cat, suitable for castration. This is due to the fact that the owners pull with a trip to the vet because of pity. The owners attribute pets human feelings. They are sure that the pet is very upset that it can not have its offspring.But no matter how cute they are, human feelings are alien to them. Instinct wakes up only under the influence of changes in certain hormones, which occurs only at a certain time. The operation involves the removal of the gland that produces these hormones. Therefore, at any age, the animal loses its desire to breed. But for owners who are planning to castrate their cat, it is important to remember that a pet should not be mixed with a cat before the operation. He can remember that. And since the body of the animal will still occur slight fluctuations in the level of hormones, sex hunting may occur periodically. The risk of such a phenomenon increases if a two-year or older cat is operated on.
Optimal age
If you, knowing all the advantages and disadvantages of castration, still decided to subject your pet to this test, you can talk about age. Veterinarians agree that it is best to castrate a cat before it is one year old. The ideal age for this is 7-9 months. The animal is at a stage when puberty has already begun to develop, but has not yet ended.The fact is that if you carry out the operation after the completion of the process of maturation, the hormones will also be produced in the pituitary gland. If you remove the gland in time, then the pituitary gland will not receive a signal. Consequently, the hormones will be produced very little. This is a very important point that must be considered when choosing an age.
If a cat is younger than seven months, then it is better not to conduct castration. It can cause complications in a kitten. He may develop a urethral stricture. Kittens have a very narrow urinary canal. Therefore, due to inflammation, spikes may appear. Inflammation usually always accompanies castration. It does not depend on the age at which the cat was operated on. Therefore, if you contact your veterinarian with such a question, he will answer you that it is impossible to castrate a kitten who has not turned 7 months old.
Maximum age
Is it possible to conduct castration in an already mature adult cat? Experts say that until the age of seven it will not bring any harm to the cat. If you do this later, then it is likely that the animal will not endure anesthesia.In addition, the risk of serious complications increases, which may threaten not only the health, but also the life of the pet. A cat is considered fully adult when it reaches two years of age. At this age, the animal reaches full maturity. Most likely, the cat at this age has already managed to communicate with many cats.
What reasons can force the owners to do this operation to a cat that has already matured? Maybe it happened out of ignorance. They wanted to castrate, but they thought it was too early for that. Perhaps they were just afraid and did not want to offend the pet. But often the desire to have a quiet pet, which does not leave an unbearable smell everywhere, takes precedence over pity. The owners are greatly annoyed by the cries of the animal. Therefore, the decision on castration can take the owners not only a small cat, but also quite an adult.
After reaching the age of two, the operation is quite possible. But at the same time it is important to remember that the more you tighten, the greater the risk of harm to the animal. A young cat organism will suffer such stress much easier. The older the cat, the worse the anesthesia will affect it. Rehabilitation in an adult animal will take longer.
An adult cat after surgery will not get rid of all its unpleasant habits. He will retain his aggressiveness. Many will continue to mark territory. If he had contact with a cat, he would be willing to do it again. That is why it is so important to make the operation in a timely manner.
Video: at what age to castrate a cat?
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